I'm frequently asked, what are your "Entertaining Essentials?" Truthfully, I seem to use the same staples over and over and try to reinterpret them different ways. So, my Entertaining Pantry is really quite edited and simple, but there are some items that I have come to depend on... all of which I put together for you in my new Everyday Occasions store - linens, candles, platters, place cards, packaging, etc. It is all there.

Another sort of "Entertaining Essentials" I have is a collection of go-to entertaining recipes from my catering days. Crowd pleasers. When I first started my catering business I wrote all of my favorite recipes in a little blue journal book so I'd have them with me all of the time. Over the years I've shared a couple of recipes from this little journal, but not all. Truthfully, when I started this blog (forever ago...?) I was a burnt out on all of those recipes I'd made hundreds of times.

Now, after a two year break from the catering business, I am ready to dive back in to some of those old favorites, because after all, they were really great recipes for entertaining. This Chocolate Molten Cake recipe was one of my first and best go-to's as a caterer. I always served it at dinner parties - with great success. The ingredients and supplies are humble - chocolate chips and a cupcake pan! They work great for parties because the batter is made in advance, then baked right before dessert and served warm.

Prepare cupcake pans by coating the inside of each with melted butter by swirling it around. Then sprinkle the insides with cocoa, coating completely.

To make the batter, place chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl, then top it with butter and cream. Microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between, until the chocolate is smooth. When chocolate has cooled slightly, stir in eggs, sugar and flour. Pour into prepared cupcake pans. Refrigerate for 1 hour (at least) and up to a couple of days.

Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes for regular 12/pan size and 15-18 for jumbo 6/pan size, just until the outsides and most of the top have set, and the centers are still slightly runny. You can insert the tip of a knife to test. You just want a bit of the very center to be a thick pudding like texture. Let them cool for 5 minutes, then place a sheet pan on top of the muffin pan and invert them.

Serve with whipped cream, ice cream and dusted with chocolate or cinnamon.

Melting chocolate with the butter and cream this way is so easy - microwave!

The pans buttered and cocoa-ed while the chocolate is in the microwave.

Perfectly melted.

You can fill them almost all the way to the top - they don't puff too much.